1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a method for estimating the propensity of a vehicle to rollover, and more specifically, to a method for detecting a rollover event of a vehicle and providing a corrective action to reduce the likelihood of an actual rollover.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dynamic stability control systems have been implemented in vehicles to deter a vehicle from actually rolling over. Vehicle rollovers have become a growing concern for vehicles with a high center of gravity and especially those used for multiple purposes in different geographical locations. A vehicle may have the potential to rollover due to forces exerted on a vehicle under different types of operating conditions. Methods have been used to anticipate when the vehicle has the propensity to rollover and to make adjustments to counteract such vehicles from rolling over. A rollover event may be defined as a moment when the current operating conditions (e.g. speed, steering angle, lateral acceleration etc.) are beginning to approach a threshold where the rollover could actually occur. Typically, stability control systems detect or estimate the propensity for a rollover event to occur by measuring a role angle or a roll rate. This requires a dedicated sensor for determining the roll angle at each instance the vehicle is in travel. Sensors are costly and require dedicated wiring and packaging locations. Vehicle manufacturers are consistently looking for reliable methods which can obtain the same results yet cost less and minimize the number of components on the vehicle.